“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40: 31) Just like St. Ignatius helped us grow deeper in our daily faith walks per his “Spiritual Exercises,” we also must incorporate routine physical workouts for our emotional health and overall well-being.

I have loved running since being a kid. In grammar school, I used to always win the 100 yard dash but eventually got to like running in competition – particularly longer treks, like I started to develop in popularity with 10K Races and Marathons in the 1970s. Usually, I like to participate in the Baton Rouge community benefit races like the Alzheimer's Memory 5Ks and fun races like the Fat Boy 5K.

For many years, I have also found a way to incorporate the spiritual realm when I do my weekly jogs in simple and practical ways: use special words that tie-in to the numbered laps or some other counts that you may be doing for your regimen that becomes like a running mantra. For me, when I'm doing laps in my neighborhood or at the BREC Sherwood enclosed park, here are some suggestions that I like to do in a rhyme like manner or with other connections (like the 10 Commandments – for the first 10 or the Beatitudes):

Sometimes, life may feel like “Running on Empty,” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC-pkV1s0Zc) as noted by Jackson Browne. May we join St. Paul and “preach Christ crucified” (I Cor. 1:23), as well as humbly proclaim “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7). Amen, Alleluia!